*William’s family and friends helped raised money for Brake, in William’s memory, by climbing the Three Peaks in June 2008. * Louise, William’s Mum has written an account of the event below: Like a bunch of intrepid explorers or more probably lambs to the slaughter, we all turned up at Horton in Ribblesdale ahead of our big challenge. Yorkshire greeted us with a downpour and ensured that we all looked like drowned rats by the time the handful of tents were erected. I was secretly glad at this point to have a bed in the bunkhouse, although sleeping in a room with 19 other people does have its drawbacks, let’s just say wind doesn’t only occur on the peaks! Our spirits were not dampened however as we sought refuge in the pub and discussed tactics. The following day began well, although far too early in my opinion. I didn’t realise the world existed before 8.30am on a Saturday morning. I can however confirm that everything was there and ready to go at 4.30am when we rolled out of sleeping bags and prepared ourselves for the day ahead. There were smiles all round as we dutifully posed for the pre-walk photos. Oh little did we know what was coming. Well actually Marion did, but on reflection admitted that she had mentally blocked the bad bits out. Perhaps that was for the best!! The first peak Pen-y-ghent lay in wait as we innocently began our ascent. It’s strange but I don’t actually remember reading ‘mad scramble over exposed rock face in high winds’ in the walk description. Funny how that part has been omitted! In fear for our lives we all hugged the first trig point, partly for more photo opportunities, but also to ensure that we didn’t all get blown unceremoniously back down the peak. Again the bit about ‘paddle through streams, and trudge through muddy bogs’ was mysteriously absent form my route plan. Several of us fell fowl of the ‘slippery when wet’ descent, and many redecorated the seat of their trousers with a rather appealing ‘go faster mud’ streak - an amusing addition to any walker’s outfit. Neil felt it appropriate to do a little highland jig for us as he scrambled over the rocks. He claimed to be trying to stay upright but I think he’s been watching too much high school musical. In a desperate bid to save her own skin and in true Thorndyke style, Christine managed to grab an unsuspecting male walker in the trouser region. I don’t know who was more shocked, but I certainly know who was more embarrassed. Whernside tried to hide from us by disappearing into the clouds, but oh no we were on the case. The views were amazing on the way up, for those who dared to look down. As we reached the summit the cloud thickened and visibility was reduced to only a few feet. The second trig point lay behind a wall with a gap only big enough for a stick insect to get through. I guess the thinking behind it was that most people would of course be several stone lighter by this point! I can’t decide if going up or down was the hardest, which sounds mad but actually trying to stop yourself hurtling down at amazing speed over the craggy sharp rocks was a feat in itself. And after all that, there it was, the third and final peak. Because it seemed so far away Ingleborough really didn’t look that scary at first. But remember looks can be deceptive. This was undoubtedly the ‘bad boy’ of the triplets. Rock climbing without ropes again came into play. The view probably was nice but nobody really cared by this stage. The third trig point seemed a bit tricky to find, mainly because everytime I looked up the hurricane of a wind nearly blew my hat off. A peaked hat is in my opinion an essential piece of equipment when mountain climbing. It restricts the wearer’s view and saves the despair of seeing just how much higher you have to climb. I felt very emotional as I reached the summit. I really did feel on top of the world, and actually compared to Northamptonshire I probably was. I truly felt that William was with me, and I am sure that it was his energy and determination which inspired me to run to the finish. Yes I did run but don’t worry I did pay for that error of judgement on my return, when nothing would stay in my tummy for the next two hours. On the final descent I came upon a sign inscribed with the words ‘Horton 1.5 miles’. Yeah right! Someone with a particularly cruel brand of humour or terrible carving abilities must have been responsible for that. I bet it was 3.5 miles although with leaden legs it felt like ten. I am pleased to report that our fastest time was 11 hours and fifteen minutes, although I believe the peaks were challenge enough without complicating things with a time limit! I feel very honoured and immensely privileged to have walked with such a wonderful bunch of people. This amazing team have so far helped me to raise over £11,000 for Brake, the road safety charity. I am also very grateful to everyone who has sponsored us and given us such fantastic support with our challenge. Until next time …….